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The Wellington Steeplechase tends to end in wet cement and Amanood Lad has 70.5kg topweight.

Each year the Wellington Steeplechase is a contradiction. Close to 95 per cent of the race is run on pretty much excellent footing in the middle of Trentham and it ends with 400m of the course proper which is so deep and heavy only the toughest and fittest can get their hooves out of it.

Wet cement is not a bad analogy.

So where does that leave one of our true jumping stars, Amanood Lad, topweight for tomorrow's $75,000 Grant Plumbing Wellington Steeplechase?

This will be the topliner's first look at Trentham, the reason for this appearance going back nearly 12 months.

Amanood Lad has 70.5kg topweight, which makes him potentially vulnerable late in the race to lightweights such as Crash Bandicoot with 65kg. Crash Bandicoot has been in magnificent improver's form and could end up one of the stars of the winter despite his relative inexperience.

The $75,000 Wellington Hurdles looks set up for topweight Just Got Home. He won this race two years ago despite bashing a hurdle at the 1000m and missed it last year because of an Australian campaign. He doesn't appear to be that badly off under his weight considering he won the Hawke's Bay Hurdles last start.

As much as it was officially a Slow 9 that day, it was way short of the wet cement that suits Just Got Home.

A start in the Foxbridge Plate is not beyond the realms of possibility for emerging sprinter Belial, who steps out at his favourite track today.

The Steven Cole-trained Domesday five-year-old gelding has won four of his 17 starts and will relish the drop back from open company to the AJC On Facebook Rating 75 1200 at Avondale.

Belial went too fast early at Ruakaka and faded late, but Cole was satisfied with the run and upbeat about his chances at Avondale.